A month after Hurricane Katrina, I returned home in New Orleans. There lay my house, reduced to waist-high ruins, smelly and dirty.

Before the trip, I’d had my car fixed. When the office employee of the garage was writing up the bill, she noticed my Louisiana license plate. “You from New Orleans?” she asked. I said I was. “No charge,” she said, and firmly shook her head when I reached for my wallet. The next day I went for a haircut, and the same thing happened.

As my wife was studying in Florida, we decided to move there and tried to find a rental house that we could afford while also paying off a mortgage(抵押贷款) on our ruined house. We looked at many places, but none was satisfactory. We’d begun to accept that we’d have to live in extremely reduced circumstances for a while, when I got a very curious e-mail from a James Kennedy in California. He’d read some pieces I’d written about our sufferings for Slate, the online magazine, and wanted to give us (“no conditions attached”) a new house across the lake from New Orleans.

It sounded too good to be true, but I replied, thanking him for his exceptional generosity, that we had no plans to go back. Then a poet at the University of Florida offered to let his house to me while he went to England on his one-year paid leave. The rent was rather reasonable. I mentioned the poet’s offer to James Kennedy, and the next day he sent a check covering our entire rent for eight months.

Throughout this painful experience, the kindness of strangers has done much to bring back my faith in humanity. It’s almost worth losing your worldly possessions to be reminded that people are really nice when given half a chance.

59. The garage employee’s attitude toward the author was that of ____.

A. unconcern    B. sympathy    C. doubt    D. tolerance

60. What do we know about James Kennedy?

A. He was a writer of an online magazine.

B. He was a poet at the University of Florida.

C. He offered the author a new house free of charge.

D. He learned about the author’s sufferings via e-mail.

61. It can be inferred from the text that____.

A. the author’s family was in financial difficulty.

B. rents were comparatively reasonable despite the disaster.

C. houses were difficult to find in the hurricane-stricken area.

D. the mortgage on the ruined house was paid off by the bank.

62. The author learned from his experience that ____.

A. worldly possessions can be given up when necessary.

B. generosity should be encouraged in some cases.

C. people benefit from their sad stories.

D. human beings are kind after all.

Odland remembers like it was yesterday working in an expensive French restaurant in Denver. The ice cream he was serving fell onto the white dress of a rich and important woman.

Thirty years have passed, but Odland can’t get the memory out of his mind, nor the woman’s kind reaction（反应）. She was shocked, regained calmness and, in a kind voice, told the young Odland. “It’s OK. It wasn’t your fault.” When she left the restaurant, she also left the future Fortune 500 CEO（总裁）with a life lesson: You can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she treats the waiter.

Odland isn’t the only CEO to have made this discovery. Rather, it seems to be one of those few laws of the land that every CEO learns on the way up. It’s hard to get a dozen CEO’s to agree about anything, but most agree with the Waiter Rule. They say how others treat the CEO says nothing. But how others treat the waiter is like a window into the soul.

Watch out for anyone who pulls out the power card to say something like, “I could but this place and fire you,” or “I know the owner and I could have you fired.” Those who say such things have shown more about their character（人品）than about their wealth and power.

The CEO who came up with it, or at least first wrote it down, is Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson. He wrote a best-selling book called Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management.

“A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter, or to others, is not a nice person,” Swanson says. “I will never offer a job to the person who is sweet to the boss but turns rude to someone cleaning the tables.”

56. What happened after Odland dropped the ice cream onto the woman’s dress?
A. He was fired.                                                 B. He was blamed.        
C. The woman comforted him.                            D. The woman left the restaurant at once.

57. Odland leaned one of his life lessons from ____.
A. his experience as a waiter.                                B. the advice given by the CEOs
C. an article in Fortune      D. an interesting best-selling book

58. According to the text, most CEOs have the same opinion about ____.
A. Fortune 500 companies B. the Management Rules
C. Swanson’s book           D. the Waiter Rule

Carolyn Stradley is the founder of C&S Paving Inc. (铺路公司) in Atlanta, USA. In the following account, she recalls the job that challenged her 36 and skill but left her flying high.

“When the Atlanta Airport was under 37 in 1979, we were a new company struggling to make it. National Car Rental wanted to have 2,500 square meters of dirt paved 38 the cars could be on site 39 the airport opened, and the official opening was only ten days away! 40 other local paving company wanted to do the job, 41 it couldn’t be done in such a short time.

“Because we were new and really needed the work, we were 42 to try harder. We gave National Car Rental our offer and 43 our best effort to get the job finished within ten days. We also 44 them that if we failed, they would be no worse off, 45 they had plenty to gain if we succeeded.

“We got the job and immediately went into 46 . Working at night needed lights, so I rented a machine to produce electricity for the site. Our 47 challenge was to keep the rock mixture 48 enough. All the available water wagons (洒水车) were rented out for the airport construction, and we certainly couldn’t afford to buy a new one. 49 , I got a special 50 to rent fire engine hoses (消防水龙带) and connect them to nearby hydrants (消防栓); then I 51 held one of those hoses to 52 down the rock.

“Those ten days were filled with challenges that 53 one creative idea after another. Nine days later, the night before the airport opened, National Car Rental was the 54 company that had cars on the parking lot.

“The key to our success was having the 55 to take on any job and then being creative in our approach to getting it done.”

36. A. kindness　　　　　　 B. patience　　　　　　　 C. imagination　　　　 D. experience

37. A. construction　　　　 B. repair　　　　　　　　 C. control　　　　　　　 D. development

38. A. after　　　　　　　　　 B. as　　　　　　　　　　　 C. for　　　　　　　　　　 D. so

39. A. while　　　　　　　　　 B. since　　　　　　　　　 C. where　　　　　　　　 D. when

40. A. Some　　　　　　　　　 B. Any　　　　　　　　　　 C. No　　　　　　　　　　 D. Every

41. A. stating　　　　　　　　 B. reporting　　　　　　 C. telling　　　　　　　　 D. warning

42. A. able　　　　　　　　　　 B. nervous　　　　　　　 C. afraid　　　　　　　　 D. willing

43. A. supported　　　　　　 B. promised　　　　　　 C. continued　　　　　 D. improved

44. A. asked　　　　　　　　　 B. surprised　　　　　　 C. reminded　　　　　　 D. demanded

45. A. though 　　　　　　　 B. but　　　　　　　　　　 C. as　　　　　　　　　　　 D. unless

46. A. discussion　　　　　 B. action　　　　　　　　 C. practice　　　　　　　 D. production

47. A. next　　　　　　　　　　 B. first　　　　　　　　　 C. past　　　　　　　　　 D. previous

48. A. cold　　　　　　　　　　 B. wet　　　　　　　　　　 C. loose　　　　　　　　　 D. clean

49. A. Naturally　　　　　　 B. Obviously　　　　　 C. Meanwhile　　　　　 D. Instead

50. A. excuse　　　　　　　　 B. order　　　　　　　　　 C. permit　　　　　　　　 D. reason

51. A. exactly　　　　　　　　 B. personally　　　　　 C. angrily　　　　　　　 D. hardly

52. A. pull　　　　　　　　　　 B. knock　　　　　　　　 C. hit　　　　　　　　　　 D. water

53. A. required　　　　　　　 B. mixed　　　　　　　　 C. followed　　　　　　 D. formed

54. A. best　　　　　　　　　　 B. last　　　　　　　　　　 C. second　　　　　　　 D. only

55. A. courage　　　　　　　 B. interest　　　　　　　 C. hope　　　　　　　　　 D. chance

 When ______ different cultures, we often pay attention only to the differences without noticing the many similarities.

      A. compared         B. being compared     C. comparing      D. having compared

---Could you turn the TV down a little bit?

---______. Is it disturbing you?

A. Take it easy.　 B. I’m sorry.　 C. Not a bit　　 D. It depends

 We had wanted to finish our task by noon, but it didn’t quite       .

A. find out                    B. give out                    C. hand out            D. work out

 The information on the Internet gets around much more rapidly than ______ in the newspaper.

A. it              B. those           C. one           D. that

 Alan is a careful driver, but he drives ______ of my friends.

   A. more carefully  B. the most carefully   C. less carefully  D. the least carefully

 Danny           hard for long to realize his dream and now he is popular.

A. works                 B. is working                C. has worked                            D. worked

 ____ I really don’t like art, I find his work impressive.

A. As               B. Since                C. If                     D. While